Five Things That Happened On April 20 In Soap History

In 1983, Jesse Hubbard and Angie Baxter, the first Black supercouple on daytime, wed for the first time on All My Children. Angie insisted on saving herself for marriage, so Jesse came up with the perfect solution to expedite their physical intimacy: He whisked her off to elope.

In 1984, Liz Chandler (Gloria Loring) and Neil Curtis (Joseph Gallison) said, “I do" on Days of Our Lives. Liz had some pre-wedding jitters when the groom arrived late, but the ceremony then proceeded without a hitch. "This wedding is the start of a new life for you both," intoned the officiant. Rather than have someone give her away, the bride said that she was giving herself to Neil, noting that she knew her groom was likewise giving himself to her.

In 1984, Don Diamont made his daytime debut as Carlo on Days of Our Lives. In 2015, the actor (who would go on to long runs on Young and Restless, where he played Brad Carlton, and Bold and Beautiful, where he plays Bill Spencer), reflected on his Salem stint in an interview with Soap Opera Digest, saying, “I’d never been in front of a camera before, and my first day on the set I was very nervous. My first day was walking into this group scene. I was incredibly green and after this first scene, [then-Executive Producer] Al Rabin came out and pulled me off the set, in front of all the other actors, and said, ‘I can take an actor who’s nervous but I can’t take an actor without energy. Now, get it together!’ So, we didn’t exactly start off on the right foot."

In 1995, Deborah Adair (pictured with John Aniston as Victor Kiriakis) exited Days of Our Lives as Kate Roberts. She had been a cast member since 1993. The following year, the show recast the role of Kate with Lauren Koslow, who has played her ever since.

In 2010, Chad Duell debuted as Michael Corinthos, assuming the role from its most recent portrayer, Drew Garrett. In 2023, the future Daytime Emmy winner recalled his first day on the set in an interview with Soap Opera Digest, saying, "I just remember showing up and being terrible when I started because I was so nervous. They fired somebody for me and some people there were really shocked by it and I felt so much pressure. My first scenes, I had the head writer and the producer in my eye line with their arms crossed, watching me, and I was having to pick up a storyline at the high point of it, after Michael killed Claudia and was on the run. I was so stressed out and in my head. Maurice [Benard, Sonny], he wasn’t the biggest fan of me at first because he was close with the other Michael and that made me feel more insecure. So, all these things were just stacked against me and I thought I was gonna get fired. It started out chaotic, but I found my footing.”